To Be Human
by skorso
Summary: The turtles find themselves with a mysterious formula created by the Krang that has both amazing and consequential powers. It forces the brothers to question their future and causes divisions between the whole family and even friends.


It's good to be back! I just started rewatching Nick's TMNT with my boyfriend and now I'm getting him hooked. I feel like I have done society a favor. This has also inspired me to begin writings stories again. Now I have wanted to write this for a very long time and I hope I do it justice. Before we begin, however, I should detail a few things.

There are aspects I love and appreciate about each version of the TMNT universe, so I will be mixing it a little bit. To start, I write this with the origin story of the IDW comics. It won't be hugely relevant to the story but for those who don't know, IDW comics of TMNT have Splinter and the turtles reincarnated after being killed in, I believe, Fudeal Japan. I mix it in with the Krang from the 2012 universe, I imagine it with the 2007 movie animation, and I may or may not include the backstory of Leo leaving for training. Those are the most important aspects as of right now. I will include more details of the universe if it becomes relevant. I really hope you all enjoy. I have been so excited to write this. Please R&R!

* * *

Leonardo shimmied against the wall outside of Krangs' new Headquarters. A couple of hours ago, Donatello traced a lead to Krangs' hideout. It had been nearly a year since Krang had been on anyone's radar- including the Foot Clan. Immediately locating their HQ, the turtles surfaced from the sewers to get an update on Krangs doings.

Peering his head around the corner, Leo was allowed a glimpse into the building through a large skyline window. He flicked his hand into the air to indicate to his brothers to stop while he spied bellow.

"See anything, bro?" Michelangelo asked eagerly, standing on his tiptoes trying to sneak a peek over Leo's shoulder.

Nudging his little brother back a little he answered calmly, "Not yet Mikey, let me look."

Mikey began bouncing on his toes anxiously. "Come on, man. This is our first lead in months. We haven't been out in weeks. Let's just go get 'em."

"Believe it or not, I've gotta side with Mikey on this one. Forget the stealth for one night, dude. Let's just go all in and wreak some havoc." Raphael chimed in, his hands hovering readily over his weapons.

"Absolutely not," Leonardo said assertively. "We're not going to jeopardize our one and only lead on the Krang just because you two have itchy fingers."

"Well, if I might jump in," Donatello said with an inflection that only meant he was about to agree with his two brothers, provoking Leo to sigh and roll his eyes at their impatience. "Based on the information I gathered, I'm only getting about 40 heat signatures down bellow. We could easily take them and it would be decent exercise.

After seeing nothing, Leo turned and faced his brothers. "Guys, this isn't a game-"

"-nothing ever is with you."

Leo ignored Raph's under breath remark, "-we have to take this seriously. Donny, maybe you are only getting a few readings but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have a backup ready. There's nothing in the room below from what I can see, it's just a warehouse so we can probably sneak through here."

As he turned around he heard quiet sighs from all of them. He clenched his teeth with some frustration. " _You would think I would get used to this underminement by now._ " He thought bitterly to himself. He loved his brothers, and he could readily relate to their restless anxiety to kick some Krang butt. Afterall, the last few months had been painfully dry. Apparently, the NYPD had picked up their slack and hired more recruits which not only left fewer thugs for them to take care of, but it also meant they had to remain in the shadows much more carefully. Sometimes in the midst of handling a criminal, they had to ditch when they heard sirens sounding nearby. It was frustrating, and Leo felt like he wasn't suiting New York anymore. For being one of the biggest cities in the world, Leo sure felt like it was shrinking on him.

Despite that though he tried to prioritize their purpose. They were meant to defend the city, and if the city was becoming safer at the cost of their time on the surface, it was a price he was willing to pay. He wished his brothers could realize that.

Donatello finished disarming the alarm and opened the window. They leaped inside and hid behind a tower of crates. Michelangelo was knelt right behind Leo, allowing Leo to feel his breath on his neck.

"Donny," Leo whispered, "can you determine the exact location of the Krang."

Donny pulled out one of his many handy devices lit with techy colors as he punched in some code. "One sec… Alright, there are eight Krang barricading that door over there, and to the West, you have a staircase leading down below where another twelve seem to be."

Leo nodded, "Alright then, you and Raph _sneak_ past the eight while Mikey and I go see what's downstairs."

"Now when you sneak, do you mean stealthfully incapacitate them?" Raph pondered with a devilish grin.

"By sneak I mean sneak, Raph."

"Fine."

"If you find anything, buzz us and we'll meet here again." They all nodded and headed to their designated destinations.

Mikey and Leo hurried quietly down the steps when they reached a large doorway.

"Dude, what is that?" Mikey breathed observing the twelve krangs. But more surprising was a single Krang in some sort of test tube adjacent to another tube that had a human inside.

Both seemed unconscious based on their closed eyes and immobility. Leo's eyes darted around the room, looking for anything that could explain this odd display. Unfortunately, the monitors that would give him the desirable answers were all written in alien. Now he was wishing he brought Donatello.

"Should we get closer?" Mikey was already beginning to move forward.

"No," Leo hissed quietly grabbing Mikey's forearm. "I'm just going to snap a picture with my phone and we'll sneak out of here. Donny can decipher all this mumbo jumbo and then we can formulate a plan to come back."

He reached into his leather pouch and grabbed his shell cell, aiming the camera and zooming in on both the two immobile bodies and some monitors.

"This is some creepy stuff, man," Mikey said.

"Yeah…" Leo agreed. He focused in on the scene and snapped the picture.

*CLICK*

" _Dude_ , you didn't turn off the shutter…" Mikey gasped.

Leo was so startled by the sudden noise in the midst of their silence he almost dropped the phone. " _This isn't good._ "

"Did you hear something?" One Krang asked swiveling around. The hallow lifeless eyes locked onto Leo and Mikey.

"Oh man, I'm so glad you messed that up and not me!" Mikey said cheerfully pulling out his nunchucks.

Leo groaned. "Let's just get out of here quickly, before they pull any alarms- oh, come on!"

Lights began flashing red and a loud horn whistled around them.

"Woo!" Mikey charged forward swinging and plowing through the Krang a little too eagerly. Somehow they were taught the same peaceful and respectful form of martial arts and yet turned out so very different…

Leo followed closely behind. He withdrew his samurais from their sheaths and swung at the Krang, filing one down at a time. The Krang, of course, had their alien laser guns and quickly made use of them. Mikey and Leo ducked and dodged the lasers with expertise. Perhaps it had been almost a year since the last time they found the Krang, but they didn't allow that to make them rusty. Leo arched back, falling to his knees and slid between two Krang, aiming his swords right for their lower chest. The wretched aliens squealed and hurried out of their compromised bodies.

Leo felt the buzzing of the cell shell against his hip and he sheathed one of his swords and answered the cell. "Donny, have you guys been spotted." He asked swinging his one sword and slicing a robotic head in half.

" _No_ ," it was Raph, " _the alarms starting blaring and they ran off. Did Mikey trip the alarm_?"

"No…" Leo answered bitterly swinging his sword and striking a Krang.

" _Wait…_ " Raph paused then Leo heard a chuckle. " _Ah, man did you do it? That's golden._ "

Leo scoffed. "Just shut up and get here would you?"

" _Yeah, we're on our way, captain clumsy. Hey, Don! Leo was the one who set off the alarm. Can you believe that-"_

Leo hung up before he had to hear Raph's mockery anymore.

"Leo watch out!" Mikey shouted.

Leo twirled around, reaching for his second samurai but before he could retaliate he was thrown back and he crashed into the Krang tubes shattering the glass and the foreign goop washed over him. He bit down and closed his mouth, not wanting any to get into his mouth.

"Ah, that is so gross…" Mikey grimaced.  
Leo looked up, Mikey stood over the Krang who had kicked him back. "That the last one?"

"Yup!"

"Good. Let's go. I feel dirty."

"You live in a sewer, man." '

"Yes, Mikey. We do."

Donatello and Raphael came racing down the stairs with their weapons drawn and ready to fight. Leo waved his hand to them shaking his head, "We got 'em."

They looked disappointed. Raphael noticed the goop dripping off of Leo. "Ew, what is that?"

"I don't know," Leonardo replied shaking some of the liquid off of his hands. "It was in some sort of human-krang test tube and I crashed into it."

Donatello leaned in to get a closer look. "Let me get a sample of that before you wash it all off." He said pulling a vile from his pouch and swiping Leo's skin with a swab.

"Hey, dude, why not just take one of these?" They turned their attention to Mikey who was tossing and catching a large glass container of the same mysterious goop covering Leonardo. "They have a whole stash over here."

"Yes, that would actually be better," Donatello remarked glancing back at his small sample almost shamefully.

"Just doing my part," Mikey grinned.

Leo snatched the bottle before Mikey had a chance to toss it again and handed it to Donatello. "Well, let's get out of here before anymore Krang show up. We tripped the alarm, more are bound to show up, I bet."

With his order, they made their way out of the Krang HQ from the same entrance they snuck in. Their journey home was less than forty minutes and they could make it in even less time if they went underground at the next block. As they hurried across the rooftops, careful to stay out of any lights or particularly busy streets, Leo stumbled a bit.

"You good there, bro?" Donatello asked slowing down after observing Leonardo's rare slip.

Leo felt a surge of pain coursed through his veins in the midst of a jump between two buildings. His foot hit the ledge and he fell forward. Rolling to a halt he sat upon his knees. All three turtles came to an abrupt stop and crowded around their brother.

"Are you okay?" Donny asked again, this time a tone of worry carried on his words.

Leo looked down at his hands. "Depends… Is feeling like your entire body is burning considered okay?"

"No, it's not," Donny said seriously. "It must be that weird stuff you fell into. We need to hurry you back to the lab and figure out what this stuff is. Fast. Can you stand?"

Leo used Mikey's hand for assistance to stand. "Yeah, I think so."

"Um, guys, looks like we have company," Raph warned pointing out a triad of Krang marching their way.

Leo felt another surge of pain as if his all his muscles were stretching at once. He clenched his whole body, trying to push through the aching. "We can't fight them. We need to go…"

"Leo, dude!" Michelangelo's voice was the last thing Leonardo heard before he saw the night sky and everything went black.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed! Chapter 2 should be up relatively soon. Again, I'd appreciate if you all R&R. Love to hear some feedback.


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